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Guy de Maupassant's The Necklace

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What if Mrs. Loisel told the truth to her friend? In Guy de Maupassant’s short story “The Necklace” there are many examples of irony and symbolism that can help the reader understand the story more. There are two examples of irony in the short story, which are looks are deceiving and lying is never the answer. There are also three examples of symbolism in the short story, which are that the necklace symbolizes Mrs. Loisel, her life style, and her social status. Only if Mrs. Loisel overcame her fear of being judged in a bad way, then Mrs. And Mr. Loisel wouldn’t have been in their situation. Ultimately, the use of irony and symbolism in Guy de Maupassant’s short story, “The Necklace” emphasizes the overall message that not worrying about what other people think and telling the truth can better one’s life.

The first element of irony is looks are deceiving. Mrs. Loisel wanted to look the part for the party so bad that she borrowed what she thought was the most expensive necklace her friend had. The narrator of the book wrote, “Suddenly she discovered, in a black satin case, a superb diamond necklace; her heart began to beat covetously. Her hands trembled as she lifted it. She fastened it round her neck, upon her high dress, and remained in ecstasy at sight of herself.” (Maupassant 202). Mrs. Loisel has fallen in love with the necklace when she saw it, and didn’t want any other jewelry to wear along with it. Little did she know that the necklace was a fake and she probably would have been able to buy that necklace with the little money that she had. Maybe she didn’t realize it was a fake because she never wears anything that expensive or maybe the necklace was a really good fake. Mrs. Loisel thought it was expensive though, which ma...

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...social status; she didn’t get the social status she was wanting, but instead she got the status of a poor working woman. Ultimately, all these points conclude to not worrying about what other people think and telling the truth can better one’s life.

Works Cited

Bement, Douglas. "The Woof-Plot in 'The Necklace'." Weaving the Short Story. Farrar & Rinehart, Inc., 1931. 65-87. Rpt. in Literature Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 2014. Literature Resource Center. Web. 1 May 2014.
Bloom, Harold, ed. "'The Necklace'." Guy de Maupassant, Bloom's Major Short Story Writers. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003. Bloom's Literature. Facts on File, Inc. Web. 24 Apr. 2014
Bloom, Harold, ed. "Mathilde Loisel." Guy de Maupassant, Bloom's Major Short Story Writers. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2003. Bloom's Literature. Facts on File, Inc. Web. 24 Apr. 2014
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